Nelly Bichet – Milliner

Pays de la Loire – 1973

Nelly Bichet is a milliner. After studying art, she took a 3-month course at GRETA de la Mode, where she discovered the milliner’s trade. This discovery led her to study at MOD ART in Paris, working at the same time in a hat shop specialized in press molding and milliner’s trim.

She set up her own workshop in 1999, where she has been producing one-off pieces and limited series ever since, for private clients, stylists, and theatres. In 2009, she began to take on international commissions, and to participate in fairs in New York and London in particular. In 2014, she opened Boutique Duo with Catherine Roncin, specialized in fashion accessories.

2020 – Prix du Musée du Chapeau Interpretation Award.

Research and innovation

Today, Nelly Bichet produces only made-to-measure hats. She goes out to meet her customers and provides them with personalized assistance in the creation of their hat. Her aim is to structure each piece according to the customer’s personality and morphology. With creativity and patience, she combines materials sourced from luxury bands’ off-cuts, from Montcapel (France) for felt, and Italy for straw.

Transmission

As soon as she left school, Nelly Bichet created APPH (Centre de Formation Artisanal dans les Métiers d’Art) with her classmates. It is an association that offers vocational training in crafts, fashion and soft materials. In 2022, with a former apprentice, she created Mes Jolies Chapeaux. This company guides curious people in the creation of a made-to-measure hat with an eco-responsible material kit. Finally, she regularly takes on apprentices in her workshop and teaches milliner at APPH.

To develop her business, Nelly Bichet approached Fondation Rémy Cointreau in 2023. The latter helped her to upgrade a heating press used to mold hats in small batches on aluminum forms.